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Group wants cross taken down near Upstate plant

Freedom From Religion Foundation sends letter asking for cross to be removed

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Updated: 7:06 PM EST Feb 23, 2016

Group wants cross taken down near Upstate plant

Freedom From Religion Foundation sends letter asking for cross to be removed

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Updated: 7:06 PM EST Feb 23, 2016

SENECA, S.C. —

A Wisconsin-based organization has sent a letter asking Seneca city officials to take down a cross that was put up to memorialize a worker who fell while helping build the city's water treatment plant.

The Freedom From Religion Foundation said the cross is an unconstitutional display that amounts to government endorsement of Christianity.

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The cross is embedded in a stone wall along a patio outside the plant's building.

WYFF News 4 was with Ashley Cantrell when she saw the memorial for her father, Chuck Keeler, for the first time.

At first, Cantrell walked past the cross because she didn't see it in the wall. Then came the tears.

"I'll never forget that call when he fell. It kind of brings all that back," Cantrell said. "The cross brings me comfort. The organization is opening up the wound."

Cantrell said her father fell on Nov. 19 and died nine days later.

Freedom From Religion Foundation attorney Madeline Ziegler said a resident complained to the organization about the cross.

"Our objection isn't at all to the city putting up a memorial for the worker who had a tragic accident, but when the government chooses to express memorial for a person, if it's on government property, they have to do it in a religiously neutral manner because the government has to worry about not just endorsing religion, but even the appearance of endorsement, and somebody seeing this cross just sees a cross sitting on their government's property," Ziegler said in a phone interview.

The cross is at the end of a dead-end road overlooking Lake Keowee. The cross is not visible from the road.

Cantrell said she feels that her religious freedom is being threatened.

"It's just disrespectful to my father and disrespectful to my family. We've suffered enough and I think that it needs to end. We don't need to suffer anymore," Cantrell said. "They're trying to make something that is so beautiful and make it so ugly."

Seneca city officials are expected to discuss the issue in executive session during a work session on Tuesday night.

WYFF News 4's Mandy Gaither is working on the story. Check back later for more from her, or follow her on Twitter or Facebook for updates.